Introduction
In this interview, we speak with Alexander Colin Renr, a 22-year-old from Sweden who built a successful web design business making around $20K in just 8 months. Alex shares his journey of transitioning from a student with no web design experience to running a profitable freelance business through the strategies he learned in The Real World community. His story demonstrates how anyone can learn valuable skills and turn them into a lucrative income stream with the right approach and mindset.
Founder Success Story QnA
Could you please give an introduction about yourself?
My name is Alexander Colin Renr. I am a Swede from Sweden and I’ve been in the real world for around two and a half years. I’ve been a student to a very great Community with very good professors, and that’s mostly about me.
What made you decide to join the real world?
I saw one specific clip from Andrew where he was on his ways a jet and he said, “You’re not willing to spend $50 when you choose to spend it on something like a restaurant or a McDonald’s, so why are you afraid to spend those 50?” That made me question myself often. I was living and wanted to do the same path as him and find my way in the online space, so I decided to give it a shot. After that specific clip, everything that happened afterwards came from that decision.
Which campuses did you get into?
I was kind of one of those campus hoppers. I was first in the stocks campus and had some results there for about half a year. Then I figured out that I wanted to look for a more cash flow business income rather than focusing on a 9 to 5 and then spend it on stocks, so I moved into copywriting and SMCA. Since then, it’s been mostly in the SMCA.
From SMCA, was it video editing or something else?
I do web design and branding, so it’s more of a combination of those two. I build the websites, but I also do printing stuff like brochures, flyers, and more on the branding part. It’s a bit of a mixture of those two.
Did you have experience with website design before you joined?
Not at all. I have to give a huge thank you to The Real World for actually having all those pieces put in place because I found out that there was a web design course in The Real World about a year or a year and a half later, and I didn’t know at all. Everything that you need to actually scale a legitimate business is inside the community and the campuses that each professor teaches. I have to give a big thumbs up on that one because it’s truly remarkable how the professors are turning just simple young kids – I’m 22 so I’m not that old, but we have like 15-year-olds doing a killing. It’s a great experience.
Does the web design course implement AI?
The actual course isn’t like a step-by-step on what you need to learn about AI. It’s more like a 12-week program where they set you up to master the fundamentals. You learn about coding and which platform you want to master, and then after that, they help you with generating your first sample to show out. So it’s more of a program rather than a course. The web design stuff I have actually been learning from the platforms I build the websites on. Even outside of The Real World, I’ve learned to implement AI in any way into website design. I have a trained GPT where it spits out very good prompts if you use AI correctly. If you don’t use AI, you need to hop on AI because I’ve been using it now for all of my existing projects, and the quality as well as speed has increased significantly since I started my first web pages. AI has definitely been a huge pillar for me.
How did you go about acquiring clients for what you’re doing?
In the SMCA, there is a warm Outreach method where you basically use your network. You call up someone you know – it could be a friend, family, or relative – and you ask them for a reference. I had a very good friend of mine who is in meta ads, so he runs ads for different companies. He gave me a reference to a guy that needed help with web design. From him, I got in touch with another company that needed a pretty standard web design, and from there I got my first results. After presenting those results, I got even more referrals, so that kind of created an upward spiral afterwards.
Since then, roughly how many clients have you worked with and what has that resulted in terms of total income?
I now have around 10-12 active clients right now. I’ve worked with over 15-20 in total, and I’ve kept most of them with web designing. For around 8 months being very active, I’ve made around $20K from my web designing.
How do you plan on continuing to scale that?
I have now partnered up with a very successful all-in-one solution in the beauty clinic niche. I’ve taken part in a very successful team that is looking to scale further up, and I’ve been in charge of very important projects in that company. I’ve just been building my reputation these last 8 months, making a lot of good connections and good contacts with people. I can again give everything a huge thanks to The Real World because it’s not only been web design that has given me the boost – it’s also been the mindset part, all the lessons of how you conduct yourself and how you present yourself. It’s been a whole experience. From that, I’m focusing on building up a reputation around my network, taking on larger projects, and eventually building up a team.
From watching Tate, what kind of an impact has he had on you?
He has been like a second father to me. It’s not often you hear or see very actual genuine people in the online space because you have to take things for granted with most of what you see online at the beginning. But once you understand the true message and the intent from the individual, then you can just trust that guy. He’s been a very huge impact for me. All the courses he provides, all the knowledge, and just the kind of wake-up call that most people actually need in life – he’s been a huge part.
Have you joined the heroes?
Yes, I am in the heroes program, and it’s my second year now. The program in the heroes year, the whole construct of the heroes year, is also one of the pinnacles to why I’m sitting here today with the results I have. The lessons from Professor Luke have been beyond anything. I kind of think I know everything I need to know until I listen to a Luke lesson, and then it kind of clicks again and I get all of those positive feedbacks you need to hear all day, just kind of keeping yourself away from the outside like social media and stuff. I’ve been using heroes to the fullest.
How different does your average day look like now compared to before you joined the real world?
When I joined The Real World, I was around 19 when I started, and that was when I got my first 9 to 5 job too. If I compare myself then to now, I don’t have my 9 to 5 anymore. I am purely living through the income received from my web business. I’ve managed to move out to a whole new apartment as well. It’s been a very strange feeling because in a very short amount of time, life has just been happening to me. As my dear professor says, “You must let yourself happen to life, not let life happen to you,” and that is exactly what has been happening recently. It’s a great feeling.
What advice would you give to those people who are maybe on the verge of potentially giving up because they’re not able to land that first client?
The primary advice that I know most new starters need to hear is that there is no one who actually cares about your failures except yourself. Let’s put it like this: if you reach out to a client and they ignore you, and you reach out to the next and they keep ignoring you, the only one who will care that they ignore you is you yourself. The client will forget you in about a week. If you do a warm outreach to an old friend from school and he doesn’t know what this is about, the only person that will care about the constant failings is yourself. Once you remove this barrier where you don’t need to be afraid to continuously fail – if you really focus on just keeping pushing the volume and keep improving – then I’ve understood that closing clients and also getting rejected is not even an issue. The key point is that this barrier people put in their own minds that “oh, the client ignored me and they will care forever” is not true. They will forget even the message within a week.
What do your parents think about what you’re doing?
They were first very skeptical of it. Both are hardworking parents, and I’ve had a great relationship with them all my life. I can’t thank them enough for the opportunities they have given me too. They were first obviously skeptical – it isn’t easy to come to your parents and say “I am trying to build out my own business now” when you’re like 19 or 20. But they were kind of holding to it. Once they saw that things started to happen – I started to get better physically and mentally, I cut out a lot of bad things in my life, I don’t scroll on social media – and they saw the results I’ve been providing, trying to help them as much money-wise as possible, that has been just giving them a receipt for my work actually turning out to work out in the end. Now they’re fully supportive of me. They’ve been that since their whole ride along, no matter what I do, but now they see the results and they’re happy for me.
Since you attributed most of this to The Real World, what advice would you have to people who are thinking “what if it’s a scam”?
If you’re afraid to lose $50 while ignoring the tens of thousands of interviews and reviews of people actually telling their life story and how it changed their life, then I don’t know. There’s one thing too that I’ve seen since being in this whole space – the people that are afraid, just the thought of losing $50 and at the same time accepting that ordering a full McDonald’s meal for $50 is somehow going to change their lives in a way is just laughable. It’s very hard to take those kind of people seriously, and you can’t really change them unless they want to change themselves. So just let us win and keep hating.
If people want to find out more about you or contact you, what can they do?
I have a website, which is rosenland.sc. Then I have an Instagram as well called socialcramps with a z in the end. Those are my two primary ways to reach me. As mentioned, I do web design as well, so those are my two go-to links.
Alexander Colin Business Stats
Alexander Colin has built an impressive web design business in just 8 months, generating approximately $20,000 in revenue. His business focuses on web design and branding services, and he has managed to attract and retain a solid client base through referrals and networking.
- Around 10-12 active clients currently
- Worked with 15-20 clients total
- Earned $20,000 in 8 months of active work
- Started from zero web design experience
- Operates as a solo freelancer
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Monthly Revenue | $2,500 (average) |
| Yearly Revenue (projection) | $30,000 |
| Active Clients | 10-12 |
| Total Clients | 15-20 |
| Business Age | 8 months |
| Startup Cost | $50 (for course) |
Alexander Colin Method
Alexander built his web design business through a systematic approach that leveraged his network and consistently delivered quality work. Here’s how he did it:
- Joined The Real World community to learn web design fundamentals
- Completed the web design program to master coding and platform skills
- Used warm outreach method by contacting friends and family for referrals
- Delivered high-quality work to his first clients to build reputation
- Leveraged client referrals to grow his customer base organically
- Partnered with a beauty clinic company to access larger projects
- Incorporated AI tools to improve speed and quality of his work
- Developed both technical skills and business mindset through ongoing learning
Alexander Colin Tools
Alexander uses a combination of web design platforms and AI tools to deliver high-quality websites efficiently for his clients. His tool stack has evolved as he’s gained experience and expertise.
- Web Design Platforms – Uses industry-standard web building platforms to create client websites
- Trained GPT – Custom AI tool that generates effective prompts for web design tasks
- AI Tools – Implements various AI solutions to enhance both quality and speed of work
- Branding Software – Tools for creating brochures, flyers, and other branding materials
Key Notes
Alexander’s journey provides valuable insights for anyone looking to start a web design business or freelance career. These key takeaways highlight the most important lessons from his experience.
- Starting with zero experience is possible with the right educational resources
- Warm outreach through existing network can be more effective than cold outreach
- Delivering quality work leads to referrals and organic growth
- AI tools can significantly improve productivity and output quality
- Mindset development is as important as technical skill acquisition
- Building partnerships with established businesses can accelerate growth
- Overcoming fear of rejection is crucial for business development
- Personal growth and business success often go hand in hand
Get Started in Just 5 Steps
If you’re inspired by Alexander’s story and want to start your own web design business, here’s a simple five-step approach to get you started on a similar path:
- Learn the fundamentals of web design through a comprehensive course or program
- Master at least one web design platform and understand basic coding principles
- Create sample projects to demonstrate your skills and build a portfolio
- Use warm outreach to connect with your network and ask for referrals
- Deliver exceptional work to your first clients to generate positive referrals
Conclusion
Alexander Colin’s journey from a 19-year-old with no web design experience to a 22-year-old running a $20K web design business demonstrates that with the right education, mindset, and approach, anyone can build a successful freelance business. His story highlights the importance of continuous learning, networking, and quality work in attracting and retaining clients. By combining technical skills with business acumen and leveraging both human connections and AI tools, Alexander has created a sustainable business model that continues to grow. His advice to overcome the fear of rejection and focus on delivering value provides valuable guidance for aspiring entrepreneurs in any field.